When every dollar counts for the students, the right energy strategy is essential

When it comes to schools, the research is clear. The better your facilities are, the better they are lighted, the higher your achievement scores. At Webb Consolidated Independent School District (CISD), a small rural school district in the south of Texas, they've taken that research to heart and sought out an energy supplier as efficient and effective as the school system – Direct Energy Business.

"I thought, how can I get the optimum use of my lighting, the optimum use of my energy and better service my students without jeopardizing my budget?" said Heriberto Gonzalez, Superintendent of Webb CISD.

Gonzalez took a look at the schools and the energy they were using, and did his best to cut down costs. They even replaced the schools' freezers, making them proportionate to the number of students to ensure no space was being wasted.

"Our air conditioning system was changed also to make sure that we cut down our cost. I don't see any changes and it's been a year. They promised us it would be cut by 25 percent, but I didn't see it," said Jenette Black, CFO of Webb CISD.

So, Andrei Aroneanu, Direct Energy Business project manager, flew down to conduct an energy audit. "People believe that their equipment is running according to design, and we find out that it's not so," Aroneanu said. He and his team looked at each building, systematically analyzing its utilities, efficiency and mechanical equipment. Based on that, Aroneanu provided a report with recommendations to help them reduce their consumption. "I hope to help them achieve their lower consumption of energy, which has been their expectation for a while, and thus end up with a happy customer."

Gonzalez said, "The model of our school district is to be student focused, data driven and results oriented. I believe that it's the same model that Direct Energy [Business] has. If you're going to be client focused, data driven and results oriented then we want to reciprocate and truly be educated on how we can best leverage our resources to service our kids. As the superintendent of Webb CISD, I would recommend Direct Energy Business."